Small Grants Scheme (SGS) Covid19 – Iris Network

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IRIS Network has a great pleasure to announce the continuation of its Small Grants Scheme (SGS) Covid19, which will provide financial support to the member organizations in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.

The Call aims to support IRIS members in capacity-building actions for the purpose of enhancing an organization’s abilities to develop adequate services, capabilities, and skills in response to the pandemic crisis. As IRIS Network members are facing unprecedented challenges from COVID-19 and the strain on the services and resources they provide is tremendous, this Grant Scheme is taking proactive steps to protect the Network members, support their ongoing activities and assist them to cope with current hardships as much as possible.

Small Grant Scheme Covid19 is open only to IRIS National Networks member organizations from 5 countries.

If you have a project which may fulfill the requirements of the Small Grants program, please send your proposals to iris@iris-see.eu no later than 01/02/2021 at 17.00, with an email subject stating “Call for proposal for the Small Grants Scheme Covid19 – IRIS Networking”.

For more information please follow documents attached below:

Annex 1.1 Guidelines of the Call

Annex 1.2 Application Form

Annex 1.3 Terms of Reference Template

Third Iris Network Regional Social Academy follow up

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It has been two weeks since the IRIS Network Social Academy was conducted. What have we learned? Has agile already become a part of our business or at least our mindset?

Participants and trainers gathered once again to reflect on lessons learned and exchange feedback.  

Teo Petricevic, Director of the ACT Group, highlighted that in agile management, one should lead by example. He emphasized that the transition process from traditional to agile takes time and patience. Teo and the entire team of trainers are satisfied with the performance and exchange of knowledge and experiences.

  • Nearly all participants expressed the willingness and readiness to incorporate agile management tools and methodologies into their everyday operations and organizations.
  • Some IRIS Network members shared that after the Academy they have recognized aspects of agile within their business culture and organizations.
  • The majority of participants are ready to embrace the changes and challenges that come with agile management

Third Iris Network Regional Social Academy is finished!

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Third Iris Network Regional Social Academy is finished!

The Third Iris Network Regional Social Academy successfully completed – three days, 36 participants, exchange of experiences, and shared know-how for the benefit of all participants and their organizations.

We talked about the application of agile methods in management, as well as the structural changes that this way of management brings.

Trainers from the Third Iris Network Academy guided the participants through the sessions:

  • Impact Focused Strategy
  • Agile Project Management; Agile Methodologies
  • Combining traditional top-down and agile bottom-up approach
  • Planning, Tracking, and Monitoring 
  • Ensuring Delivery of Value and Quality in Agile Projects; Risk Management
  • Budgeting agile projects and budget management
  • Leading an Agile Team
  • Managing Stakeholder Engagement
  • Agile Project Management Tools and Technologies
  • Leading the Agile Organisation
  • Measuring & Managing Impact
  • Communicating Impact Effectively

Representatives of organizations from five countries – members of the Iris Network had the opportunity to discuss the transition from traditional project management to agile methodology, hear the experiences of others, and increase their knowledge on the issue.

Academy aroused many discussions with several messages for the future:

  • We are not here just to deliver service, but to produce systematic change by maximizing our impact
  • Stakeholders have rights, but also responsibilities in an agile environment. We have to work to involve them much stronger in the process
  • We are organizations that have a say in designing financial instruments to achieve the change we want to see.
  • We are practicing openness to learn and adjust, mastering the art of letting go of old
  • Celebrate your many successes to become more motivated, it empowers your organization. Simplicity is an important part of the agile approach, do not be afraid to fail, embrace failures

In the coming period, the Iris Network will strive to apply the transferred knowledge and thus improve the functioning of the only regional network in the Western Balkans of CSOs providers of social services.

Under the framework of IRIS Networking CSOs for protection sensitive migration management, the project is funded by European Commission and implemented through joined forces of 6 NGOs from 5WB countries: IDC Serbia, ASB South East Europe, SOS Podgorica, LIR Civil Society from B&H, ARSIS Albania and La Strada North Macedonia.

IRIS Network – participants of the 2020 Regional Social Academy

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IRIS Network is proudly announcing participants of the 2020 Regional Social Academy. After a competitive selection process, we are glad to announce the list of successfully selected participants. Welcome, all the participants! We are looking forward to the training session, all the new experience and learning in the coming Academy.

Also, we were thrilled by the overwhelming response, with 30 applications from candidates in 5 countries. From these 22 applications, we selected out of the IRIS members pool.

For those applicants who were not selected, we want to thank you for taking the time to submit your application. We will be ensuring to remain connected and engaged with Network and the social service provider community through enhancements to our Alumni Network and participation in IRIS activities. For the selected candidates please follow the link.

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Call for Application – Regional Social Academy “Agile Organisational and Project Management”

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Call for Application – Regional Social Academy “Agile Organisational and Project Management”

After two successful Regional Social Academy of IRIS Network, held in Belgrade and Tirana we are announcing the Call for participants of the Regional Social Academy, which will be held online from 26th to 28th October 2020.

The Academy offers participants further support in organizational development – changing the paradigm: moving from a traditional organization working as a “machine” to the new organisation working as “organism”. This year Academy will focus on new knowledge and skills of CSOs management and senior staff in agile organizational and project management – impact strategy design and management, agile project management, budgeting, agile leadership, and team management, leading the agile organisation, impact measurement, and management methodologies and practices.

Participants will attend 3-day tailor-made training consisted of online lectures and workshops. The Academy program will enable further improvements and optimization to the needs, interests, and constraints of the target groups and their institutional and organizational environments.

All information and application procedure you can find here.

The deadline for the application is 14th October 2020 at 17 p.m.

The final participant list will be announced on the IRIS Network website (www.iris-see.eu) no later than on 16th October.

Successful participants will obtain certificates, and enter Academy Alumni. Upon the training, each of the participants will have the opportunity to participate in a Follow-up check-point session which will be held on the 9th of November 2020, online.

Regional Social Academy is part of the regular IRIS program activities, organized annually.

Photos and impressions from First Regional Social Academy you can see here.

Photos and impressions from Second Regional Social Academy you can see here.

For additional questions contact iris@iris-see.eu.

Jesuit Refugee Service Serbia – Integration House Presentation

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Jesuit Refugee Service Serbia – Starting our mission in Serbia in 2016 we explored needs and opportunities to find the best possible way to help those who need it. Working on the field, communicating with other civil society organizations and with government institutions we identified a gap in the protection of unaccompanied minors which is why we established Pedro Arrupe Integration House back in May 2017. Since then, we provided accommodation to more than 70 children, who were identified as victims of sexual violence, exploitation, smuggling and potential victims of human trafficking or they were just too young to be alone anywhere. Supported by our donors, in cooperation with Serbian authorities, our experience was being presented as an example of good practice to all actors involved in refugee protection in Serbia in the fields of integration, protection and promotion of human rights of children. This gives us a good position to advocate for the rights of children in other fields such as education, community-based services and better legal protection. Telling a story about our work is always hard; sometimes we think we are too critical of ourselves and sometimes that we give ourselves too much credit. So, it is best when you get inputs from someone who has been for a short time part of our team, and perception he gets tell us a lot.

Presentation:

JRS Serbia – Integration House Presentation (1)Download